Urology Awareness Month

Kidneys and Urology Awareness Month

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that sit below the ribs towards the middle of the back. They are vital for good health. Their main job is to clean the blood by removing excess water and waste, and passing them out of the body in the form of urine. Narrow tubes called ureters carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. Each day the kidneys filter between 150 and 180 liters of blood and pass around two liters of waste down to the bladder. They make sure blood pressure is stable. And that there is a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood. In addition, they produce hormones that help build strong bones and form red blood cells.

When a kidney is not working properly waste products such as salts can build up inside the body and cause health problems. These can become serious or even life-threatening. We are thought to have two kidneys because they are so crucial to our survival. The second kidney is considered to perhaps be a ‘back up.’

Bladder

The bladder is a hollow, balloon-like organ in the lower abdomen that stores and collects urine. Urine is composed of water and waste products filtered out of the blood by the kidneys and passed into the bladder through two tubes called ureters. Urine leaves the bladder through a tube called the urethra. Two tight bands of muscle (sphincters) control urine flow into and out of the bladder. Like a balloon, the bladder’s elastic walls stretch to store urine. When urine is emptied out, the walls flatten together.

A layer of muscle surrounds the inner lining of the bladder. When the bladder becomes full, nerve signals are sent to the brain. These signals instruct the sphincter at the base of the bladder to relax and the muscles in the bladder wall to squeeze the bladder and push the urine out. These instructions from the brain can normally be controlled voluntarily, so that the person can choose when to urinate.

Prostate

The prostate gland lies beneath the bladder. It surrounds the urethra. A urethra is a tube that transports urine out of the body from the bladder. The prostate starts off relatively small in boys, then grows larger during puberty as testosterone levels increase. In healthy adults, the prostate is around the size of a walnut. The prostate gland’s main function is during sexual intercourse. At ejaculation, sperm is mixed with fluid from the prostate gland. A substance called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) liquidizes the ejaculate to improve the chances of fertilization. The fluid produced by the prostate also prevents infection in the urethra.

What Are Some Important Facts and Statistics About Prostate Cancer?

• Prostate cancer represents the most common solid organ cancer in US men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths behind lung and colorectal cancer. About 1 man in 9 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.
• About 1 man in 41 will die of prostate cancer.
• It is estimated that there will be 248,530 new cases of prostate cancer and 34,130 deaths from prostate cancer in 2021. Prostate cancer is rare before the age of 40. Mean age at diagnosis is 66.

Which Men Are At Highest Risk of Developing Prostate Cancer?

• African-American men and Caribbean men of African ancestry.
• Men with a strong family history of prostate cancer, especially multiple first-degree male relatives who were diagnosed at a young age.

The American Urological Association recommends that men between the ages of 55 – 69 undergo prostate screening, including both a PSA blood test and prostate examination.

Use Urology Awareness Month to spread awareness of this important and very common disease.